Academician Prof. Peng CUI, a former IRDR Scientific Committee member and a founding member of the IRDR Fellows initiative, has been awarded Pakistan’s prestigious Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence). The honor—one of Pakistan’s highest civilian awards for foreign scholars—was conferred at a formal ceremony held at the Pakistani Embassy in Beijing, China.

The award recognises Prof. Cui’s outstanding contributions to Sino‑Pakistani scientific and technological cooperation, regional disaster risk reduction (DRR), and cross-border connectivity. A leading expert in geohazards, Prof. Cui has developed effective DRR solutions for barrier lakes that integrate local ecological restoration, significantly enhancing regional disaster resilience.

He led the landmark Atlas of Silk Road Disaster Risk (2021), which stands as a flagship achievement of the first phase of the IRDR programme, providing solid scientific references for multi-country joint disaster prevention and climate adaptation along the Belt and Road regions.

Long committed to IRDR’s core mission of integrated disaster risk research, Prof. CUI has continuously promoted joint early warning research, climate resilience practice, and bilateral academic talent cultivation between China and Pakistan.

Prof. Cui stated that this honour belongs to all international research collaborators. Moving forward, he will keep advancing practical disaster risk reduction cooperation under the framework of IRDR, support the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and safeguard shared security and sustainable development across regions through scientific innovation and international solidarity.